Emperor Gaozu of Tang

Emperor Gaozu of Tang (7 April 566-25 June 635) was the first Emperor of Tang China, reigning from 18 June 618 to 4 September 626, preceding Emperor Taizong of Tang.

Biography
Li Yuan was born in Chang'an, Northern Zhou in 566 AD, and he came from a powerful aristocratic family of mixed Chinese and Turkic descent which had once ruled over Western Liang. He served three terms as a provincial governor and became a prominent duke under the Sui dynasty, and, in 615, he pacified the Gokturks of Central Asia. In 617, he and his son Li Shimin rose in rebellion as the Sui dynasty disintegrated, founding the Tang dynasty in 618 AD. Li Yuan named his son Prince of Qin and then fought against Li Gui, Dou Jiande, Wang Shichong, Xue Rengao, and Liu Wuzhou to unify China. By 628 AD, the Tang had unified China, and Gaozu equally distributed his lands among the people, lowered taxes, and reformed the judicial system. In 626, after his son Li Shimin killed his brothers in an ambush at Xuanwu Gate, Emperor Gaozu decided to abdicate in his son's favor, fearing that his son would plot to kill him as well. Gaozu died in 635 AD at the age of 69.